


Life Is A Highway

by thereluctantguardian



Series: Moxley Vingnettes [2]
Category: All Elite Wrestling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27581447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereluctantguardian/pseuds/thereluctantguardian
Summary: Just my excuse to have the Hardcore Four go on a road trip together.
Series: Moxley Vingnettes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719415
Kudos: 14





	1. So It Starts....

_Fucking Cody Rhodes!_ Moxley snarled in his head. He thought they had an understanding! They went way back for fuck’s sake; it wasn’t like he was a green as grass kid with no idea how to handle himself with a roster filled with a colorful mix of veterans and rookies that occasionally sparked off each other’s edges when they clashed. True, they hadn’t always been on the same side, but that had been business! It was never personal with Jon Moxley. If you ignored him and stayed out of his way, Moxley was always willing to ignore you. But fucking Joey Janela just couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and mind his own business. He didn’t know if this was some hold over from that Cracker Barrel match, and frankly, Moxley didn’t care, but Joey had mouthed off to Darby Allin, Havoc had snarked something back, and suddenly the three of them were brawling in the middle of the airport concourse. The bitch of it was Moxley didn’t even see who had hit him; he’d already had his ear phones on intent on ignoring everyone until he was violently punched in the back of the head.

Like a sparking flint, it ignited Moxley’s flight or fight instinct, and Moxley didn’t run. He did, however, land a nice right hook to Havoc before being jumped on by Darby and falling onto Janela in one large scrapping pile. That was how Cody found the four of them, and read them the riot act after Excaliber and the Bucks got them all separated, like a disappointed parent scolding his disobedient children. And like fucking hell was Moxley going to stand there and take it like he did something wrong! Mox was just defending himself, and if Cody couldn’t see pass the EVP stick shoved up his ass then that wasn’t Moxley’s problem.

Completely ignore the younger Rhodes’ lecture, Moxley started picking up the pieces of his broken headphones, even more pissed off now that he’d have to get them replaced before the plane left. _Fucking Janela! Should make the little bastard buy him new ones, but knowing that asshole, he’d buy hot pink ones covered in hearts and rainbows or some shit._ He was just about to wander off and fix the problem himself, maybe find the nearest bar and soothe his rising irritation with a jack and coke before take off, when Cody’s next words stop that thought process.

“That goes for you too, Mox.”

“What?” Cody didn’t look impressed with Moxley’s clear lack of attention, and Mox bristled at the condescending look.

“You’re off the flight too.”

“What?!”

****

As pissed as Darby was at this fiasco, it paled in comparison to Moxley’s ire. Darby watched in subtle fascination as Mox started in on Cody looking like he intended to knock the overpriced coffee out of Cody’s hand, and all over that fancy ass suit Cody insisted on wearing even on an air plane ride. The Bucks immediately stepped up to meet Moxley’s advance, one of the interchangeable brothers even putting a hand up to ward him off as if Jon wouldn’t break it to get to Cody if he wanted to. Cody hadn’t even moved, confident that Mox couldn’t touched him, and oh, did that infuriate Mox even more who looked like he was dying to prove him wrong. Cody must have sensed it too because the smirk he’d been wearing spread even wider as he ordered the four hardcore wrestlers off airplane travel and limited them to traveling by car.

Together.

For the next three months.

So here Darby was, out the cost of an airplane ticket, and standing there as the rest of the roster headed through the TSA check point and to their flight. Darby chanced a glance over at Mox who looked close to having a fit as he clutched the broken pieces of his headphones in his fist. Darby did feel somewhat guilty over that. He hadn’t meant to jump on Moxley and drag him into this thing he had with Joey and Havoc. But when he saw Jimmy go down, he had assumed it was Joey that had hit him, and reacted, jumping on the other man’s back and sending the headphones flying, clacking across the linoleum floor. It was only after he was flipped over the other man’s shoulder, landing painfully on the unforgiving floor, staring up into the pissed off visage of Moxley that Darby realized that he fucked up. Not that Darby didn’t think he couldn’t take Moxley in a fight, but he tried not to bring other people into his personal shit. Speaking of personal shit, Darby glanced at the other two instigators, and judging from Janela’s twitching fingers he was aching for a cigarette to take the sting of humiliation off, and Havoc looked as if taking a kendo stick to nearest kiosk would solve all his problems.

“So who’s getting the rental car?”

****

In the end, Joey got the car. No one dared suggest Moxley be the one to shell out for the rental after taking one look at Mox’s apoplectic face, and honestly, it was their issue that dragged the bigger man into this situation in the first place. So it was unanimous ( _Shut up, Joey!_ ) that Joey get the car while the other three got their luggage unchecked. Darby had immediate regrets upon seeing the piece of shit Joey pulled up in. Granted Darby’s personal car wasn’t much better, but he wasn’t driving it cross country, and Darby had serious concerns the car would make it to the next town over, much less three states. Darby didn’t even have to look at Mox to feel the heated glare he was giving Janela, likely hoping it would cause the car to spontaneously ignite with Janela in it. Surprisingly though, Mox opened the trunk without another word and shoved his bag into the trunk before getting into the backseat. Havoc shrugged and followed suit, making sure to hop in shotgun, leaving Darby to struggle with the trunk latch that refused to close unless he thew his entire weight on top. Cursing the entire day, Cody Rhodes, and Joey’s cheap ass, Darby crammed his long legs into the back with Moxley, and slammed the door close.

The tense silence in the car lasted until they were down the street.

“Goddamn it, Havoc! I’m not listening to Taylor Swift all the way to Newark!”


	2. Skate Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hardcore Four take a break.

“He’s pretty good at that,” Joey mumbled around the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The other two hummed in easy agreement taking a pull of their beers as they watched Darby glide around the skate park. The three wrestlers sat on the lip of the bowl, feet hanging over the edge as Darby let off some steam for a couple of hours, which admittedly Moxley wasn’t thrilled about as he just wanted to get this fucking road trip over with.

He wasn’t good in any social situation to begin with and being crammed into a car with three other volatile personalities was wearing Mox’s already thin patience down to a nub. It didn’t help that barely five minutes into the trip, Moxley wanted to shove Havoc’s ipod down his throat. So when Darby spotted to skate park sign and all but demanded that they pull off, Moxley was hell bent on ignoring the younger wrestler. But Havoc and Joey had sweetened the deal by promising beer and no more Taylor Swift for the rest of the day if Moxley gave in. So, with a quick stop off at a gas station one exit later and in a much better mood, Moxley pulled off to let Darby blow off some steam.

Allin glided around the bowl, slid down hand rails, and executed jumps with an ease that was a testament to his youth and skill, and now in a better mood much as Moxley was, Darby offered Janela and Havoc both a turn on the skateboard with varying levels of success. Moxley, however, had no desire to make an idiot out of himself, particularly in front of these assholes. “Nuh huh, no way,” Moxley waved Darby off when he was offered the board.

*******

Honestly, Moxley shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d never been one to back down after being called out, and that’s how he found himself on top of the vert ramp. Although the way Janela was still heckling him from the bottom, Mox was going to put a fist in his face as soon as this was over. Tentatively, Mox positioned the skateboard over the coping of the ramp like Darby had shown him, making sure to plant his left foot on the tail to keep it in place.

“Remember! Commit to the drop in!” Darby shouted up encouragingly. Mox scowled back down at the trio who stared back in varying levels of glee.

“Commit…fuckin’ Christ,” Moxley bit out, his bravo wavering as he peered over the edge. A sudden thought occurred, “You assholes better not be filming this!”

“We’re not filming, you chickenshit!” Joey shouted back. “C’mon, I’ve jumped off higher than this onto flaming barbwire!”

While Moxley was distracted flipping off Janela, Darby leaned over to Havoc and whispered, “You’re filming this, right?”

Havoc grinned back. “You betcha, mate,” raising the phone ever so slightly from where he angled it out of Moxley’s view.

After a wary look over the ledge, Mox took one last swig of his beer before saying _fuck it_ and going for it. A momentary sensation of accomplishment washed over him when the front wheels successfully touched down on the ramp, before overwhelming disorientation swamped him. Mox pinwheeled his arms wildly desperately trying to save himself, his beer flying out of his hand in a panic, but the skateboard skittered out from underfoot throwing the wrestler backwards, and Moxley landed hard on his backside, sliding full body the rest of the way down until he came to a stop at the bottom.

The sudden flair of pain at the hard landing wasn’t unusual feeling for Mox, being in the profession he was, but the half empty beer can nailing him between the eyes after it bounced down the ramp afterward was another story. Having the leftover contents splatter all over the prone man was just adding insult to injury, at this point. Mox just laid there in a frozen stupor at his own spectacular failure, but as the pain began to subside, he could hear the hyena cackling of those three _assholes!_ he was forced to travel with. Slowly, he lolled his head over to the side, narrowing his eyes as murderous thoughts rallied Mox to get up. Havoc was the first to notice Mox climbing to his feet, murder written in every line of his face, and it was only the Brit’s muttered _Bullocks!_ that clued the other two to the danger that was coming their way.

Joey’s “Oh Shit!” spurred the three men into action as they all took off, each sprinting away from the big angry man who was giving chase cursing at them.


	3. Four Wrestlers Walk Into a Bar

**Bar Crawl 1**

“You’re not joining in?” Havoc asked, taking a breather from the bar brawl that was currently going on not a foot away, and watched in vague interest as Darby jumped off the bar onto the drunk asshole waiting below. “I thought a good scrap would be right up your alley.” Moxley was intently watching the fight, but made no move to join in.

He took a sip of his jack and coke before waving off Havoc dismissively. “Nah. They’re big boys.” Havoc reached around Moxley, grabbing an unopened beer behind the bar top, taking advantage of the bar tender’s hasty exit to nick a free beverage. “S’long as it’s one on one.” Havoc nodded in understanding as Joey squared off against the drunk asshole’s friend.

You often fought your own battles as a wrestler. Sometimes you win, sometimes you got your arse kicked. Moxley wouldn’t step in unless someone else stuck their nose in first. Havoc could respect that.

**Bar Crawl 2**

“Um, how long has he been at it?” Havoc pondered out loud. The three men watched as Moxley drunkenly started another karaoke song. The man was enthusiastic, Havoc would give Mox that. 

“So…who’s going to go up there and stop him?” The silence that followed was telling.

**Bar Crawl 3**

“Should we stop him?” The three men contemplated that question while watching Havoc continue to maul the downed man with savage kicks and vicious punches. Well, Joey was loudly cheering Havoc on, so Darby’s question was more directed towards Moxley.

Mox shrugged and replied dismissively, “Let him have his fun.” A grin stretched across his mouth, delight flickering in his eyes as the beatdown continued. Darby wanted to sigh, but he had to admit, the guy deserved the ass beating he was getting. Although, if they didn’t wrap it up soon, they ran the risk of the police getting called on them, and Darby was not ready to spend a night in jail. Darby said as much to Moxley, who shrugged again before letting out a sharp whistle.

“Yo!” Moxley hollered. “We gotta go!” Havoc paused, fist cocked back, looking at the bigger man before nodding and delivering one last punch, but Mox had already turned away, heading back to the car. Darby turned to follow studiously ignoring Havoc looting through his victim’s wallet for cash, and Joey crouching down to get a selfie with the bleeding man.


End file.
